cenotaph

noun

ceno·​taph ˈse-nə-ˌtaf 

-ˌtäf

: a tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere

Did you know?

The word cenotaph is derived from the Greek kenos taphos, meaning "empty tomb." A cenotaph is a monument, sometimes in the form of a tomb, to a person or group of persons buried elsewhere. Ancient Greek writings tell of many cenotaphs, although none of them survives. Existing cenotaphs of this type are found in churches (for example, in Santa Croce in Florence, where there are memorials to Dante, Machiavelli, and Galileo). The term is now applied to national war memorials.

Examples of cenotaph in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tombs were frequently located by the sea, especially cenotaphs – empty graves meant to memorialize those who died at sea and whose bodies could not be recovered. —Marie-Claire Beaulieu, The Conversation, 28 July 2025

Instead of the vast open space, there are now hundreds of near identical cenotaphs, each featuring the name and a picture of a victim. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024

Instead of the vast open space, there are now hundreds of near identical cenotaphs, each featuring the name and a picture of a victim. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024

Her bed has become her grave, a tomb beneath the ceiling of her room, the ceiling a cenotaph. —Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French cénotaphe, from Latin cenotaphium, from Greek kenotaphion, from kenos empty + taphos tomb

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cenotaph

• autograph
• biograph
• chronograph
• epigraph
• epitaph
• hodograph
• holograph
• hydrograph
• lithograph
• micrograph
• monograph
• multigraph